Tamarind Chutney - Imli Ki Chutney

Imli chutney is a versatile chutney which goes well with aloo tikki, dahi bada, bhel poori, or even spicy samosas. The tangy sweet chutney compliments yoghurt well. My dad always says - titrate your chutney. Add each ingredient slowly till you get the right balance of flavors.

1 cup tamarind
1/2 cup palm sugar ( I used two 1.4 oz lumps )
1 tspn fennel seeds
1 tspn ground ginger powder (sonth)
1 pinch salt



1. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of hot water or microwave tamarind with the water for 50 seconds.Fish out the fibre and the solids till you get a smooth paste.
2. In a saucepan add all ingredients to the tamarind pulp. Add 1 cup water.
3. Boil for 10 minutes, till you get a consistent chutney. The raw taste of tamarind should disappear and the sugar should melt smoothly.
4. Store

A ver quick and immediate way to use this chutney is to dress up a masala burger from Trader Joe. Grill the masala patty. Take three tablespoons of yoghurt and add a pinch of salt and cumin powder to the yoghurt. Spoon on top of the patty. Add a tablespoon of chutney on the top and garnish with corainder leaves.

I bought the palm sugar from the local chinese supermarket. Palm sugar is a commonly used ingredient in Thai cooking - you need it for all sauces and pad thai. A better substitute for the palm sugar would have been jaggery, which would have given a deeper flavor to the chutney. If you cant find either , use dark brown sugar.